Prince of Vampires: The Masquerade
by Ael L. Bolt
Summary: AU. Six months before the first movie, the Libyans kidnap Marty to get Doc to build them the plutonium bomb. Marty escapes, but has to make a choice between his humanity and his life. (1-27-05: Chapter ten uploaded, story is complete.)
1. Early Awakenings

The Masquerade  
By Ael L. Bolt

Rating: PG  
Genre: Supernatural/Drama  
Summary: AU. Six months before the first movie, the Libyans kidnap Marty to get Doc to build them the plutonium bomb. Marty escapes, but has to make a choice between his humanity and his life.

Disclaimer: Back to the Future and all its characters belong to Universal Studios. I do not claim any part of them, and no matter how much I'd like to do so, there is no denying that the first movie came out the year before I was born, which would make it somewhat impossible. All I own is the specifics of the vampire subspecies. Katherine O'Conelly is based off a friend of mine who LOVES vampires, and often portrays herself as one in her own fanfiction. Rock on, DarkJediPrincess! "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" belongs to Tears For Fears, and according to my research it was one of the 1985 top singles.

Author's Note: This takes place in the first version of 1985, which means George is a nerdy wimp and Lorraine is a drunk, and all that stuff.

Author's Note #2: I wasn't going to post the first chapter so early, because I like to write a bit ahead before posting and I got stuck on chapter four. However, since Flaming Trails expressed an interest in reading the story, and since I had nothing better to do, here be chapter one.

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Chapter One – Early Awakenings

Tuesday, April 2nd, 1985  
Hill Valley, California  
7:28 AM

"_Welcome to your life, there's no turning back, even while we sleep, we will find you..._"

The sixteen-year old muttered incoherently as the music blasted apart his precious sleep, and he futilely tried to burrow back into his pillow and drown out the noise. _Damn it, stupid alarm...I should probably get up or something,_ he thought to himself, yet made no move to get up or even open his eyes.

"..._acting on your best behavior, turn your back on Mother Nature, everybody wants to rule the world..._"

Finally, it penetrated the fog in his mind. _Wait...my alarm?_ He lifted his head and groggily regarded the piece of machinery that was obliviously blaring away, squinting at the time. _Seven-thirty...damn, I must've forgotten to turn it off for the week._ He sighed and finally reached up to silence the alarm clock, resigning himself to getting up early. _I may be hard to wake up, but once I'm up I usually stay that way,_ he muttered inwardly.

Within ten minutes, he was up and dressed – which wasn't that complicated, since he had a rather peculiar habit of sleeping in his clothes. He scribbled a quick note to his parents and left it on the kitchen table where they would be sure to find it. Then he grabbed his Walkman and skateboard on his way out the door, being sure not to wake anybody up as he closed it behind him.

The sixteen-year old skateboarded down the semi-busy street, cursing his bad luck as he went. Hill Valley High had begun its annual Spring Break the day before, and apparently he had forgotten to turn off his alarm again. If he'd been uninterrupted, he probably would have slept in well past ten o'clock.

There was a white pickup truck sitting at the red light, and as the light changed he grabbed onto the tailgate and ducked down a little to avoid being noticed. The driver of the truck, apparently unaware of his new passenger, accelerated far past what the skateboarder could achieve on his own.

As the truck turned a corner, the teenager let go and snagged the rear bumper of a red convertible. The car cruised along through town, and when it passed a certain Burger King, the car-surfer once again abandoned his ride. He narrowly missed tripping over two dogs and a cat, who were traveling together on the sidewalk for some unexplainable reason, but managed to step off his skateboard and walk normally to the nearby garage.

After unlatching the chain-link fence and slipping through, the teen knocked on the door and waited. Sure enough, only a few minutes passed before the door opened to reveal what appeared to be your typical, everyday mad scientist – complete with flyaway white hair.

"Marty!" the scientist greeted him with a smile, gesturing for him to come on in. "I haven't seen you up this early on your own since...well, I don't think I ever _have_ seen you up this early on your own. Is something wrong?"

"Nah," the teen replied as the door closed behind him. "I didn't turn my alarm off again and couldn't get back to sleep, so I figured I'd come over and see if you needed help with anything." He eyed the menagerie of mechanical parts that were lying around on the garage floor and even strewn across the few bits of furniture. A scruffy dog trotted up next to Marty, who obligingly scratched the dog behind the ears. "Hey, Einstein. Looks like you've got more of a mess than usual, Doc."

"Yes, well, I was a bit busy trying to assemble one of my latest inventions and I haven't had time to clean up yet," Doc replied. "Would you mind helping me straighten things up a bit?"

"No problem," Marty answered as he kicked his skateboard underneath Doc's workbench. The teen set to work putting scattered microchips in a small cardboard box, moving his head in rhythm with the Huey Lewis tape in his Walkman. Across the room, Doc was gathering up various wires and cables from the floor near the couch.

"It's your annual spring break from school, isn't it?" Doc asked after a few minutes, taking care to pitch his voice loud enough that Marty could hear him over the music.

Marty glanced up at the question, and pushed back his headphones a little so that he could hear both Doc and the music at the same time. "Yeah, it started yesterday," he replied as he reached under Doc's jukebox for a microchip. "I woulda been out with the guys, but all of 'em went on vacation. Even Jennifer's gone off to visit relatives up in Washington for the week. I'd love to go somewhere, but you know my parents. They never let me go anywhere unless I can make it there on my own two feet...or my skateboard."

"What sort of places would you like to visit?" Doc asked as they worked.

_Like you don't know already,_ Marty thought with a sigh. _This must be the millionth time we've talked about this sort of thing._ He decided to humor his friend anyway. "Oh, you know, Hollywood and the Grand Canyon and all that stuff. Pretty much anywhere but here, at least for a few days. Hill Valley's great and all that, but sometimes I just gotta get away from it all, you know?"

"I do indeed," Doc said, but there was a strange tone in his voice. Marty looked over at his friend, but couldn't pinpoint what exactly had sounded off. "In fact," Doc continued, "if I can get one of my inventions to work, I may be taking a short trip somewhere, myself."

"Where are you planning on going?" Marty asked casually. _This is new...he's never talked about going anywhere before._

"Not too far," Doc assured him. "In fact, if it works out like it's supposed to, I won't be gone long enough for you to really even notice."

Marty shrugged, though inwardly he wondered at Doc's choice of words. _Where could Doc go that would be that fast to visit?_ As he moved to stack the box of microchips on top of a toolbox, he caught sight of a strange metal contraption under the bed. "Hey Doc, what's that thing?" he asked, pointing at the invention. "I don't think I've ever seen it before."

"Mind-reading device," Doc admitted after a glance, continuing to gather up various bits of trash from the corners of the garage. "I tried to get it working back in the fifties, but it was a complete failure. I guess I never got around to getting rid of it."

Marty shook his head. _I swear, Doc never throws_ anything_ away,_ he mused as he nudged the box further under the bed with his foot. "So what are you working on now?" he asked the scientist. "Anything promising?"

"Oh, you could say that," Doc replied with a grin. "I don't want to get your hopes up though, so you'll forgive me if I wait to tell you what it is until I can confirm that it works. That should be later this year, maybe around October. It all depends on how long it takes me to acquire a certain... component."

Marty was definitely intrigued at the idea of a secret invention. "Oh yeah? Don't suppose you'd at least let me look at it, then." He added the last bit as a bit of a teasing note, thinking about how mysterious Doc had acted about that new car of his. The scientist had purchased it a few months before, and had barely let Marty even admire it. _Come to think of it, I don't even know if Doc's driven it anyplace,_ Marty thought, casting a quick glance over to the far corner of the garage, where the sheet-covered sports car was parked. Occasionally he could catch a glimpse of the silver-colored frame when Doc had apparently been tampering with something on the car, but Marty never got to see it up close. _Hell, I'm not even sure what kind of car it is,_ Marty realized, looking harder at the indistinct form.

Marty was interrupted from his thoughts by Einstein nudging at his knees. "Hey Doc, do you mind if I take Einie out for a walk?" the teen asked, recognizing the pleading look in the canine's eyes. "I think he could use the exercise, you know."

"Oh, would you?" Doc answered, sounding somewhat guilty. "I'm afraid I've been neglecting him a little lately. Go ahead, take him to the park and play fetch or something. Both of you look like you could use some fresh air."

Marty laughed slightly as Einstein bounded up to get his leash, apparently in full agreement with his master. The dog offered Marty the old leash, and the teen obediently clipped it to Einie's collar. "We'll be back in maybe an hour or two," Marty said, throwing Doc a quick mock salute as he opened the door. The scientist waved absently to show that he'd heard, and so Marty and Einstein left the garage.

- - - - - - - -

A/N: Okay, so far there's one non-BttF reference to Michael J. Fox; just for giggles, see if you can find it. Also I apologize for the seeming lack of plot in this chapter, but I have a bad habit of jumping straight into the main plotline from the first sentence, so I'm practicing restraint. Don't worry, by chapter two the plot will be made apparent.


	2. Kidnapped

Author's Note: The plot starts here, as does the Martywhacking. Last chapter's non-BttF Michael J. Fox reference was indeed from Homeward Bound, where Marty almost trips over the two dogs and a cat on the sidewalk. One of the dogs, Chance, was voiced by MJF.

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Chapter Two – Kidnapped

Tuesday, April 2nd, 1985   
Hill Valley, California   
8:23 AM

Einstein had always loved his master's friend, who took him for walks and gave him special treats. He knew that there were many humans who wouldn't treat their companions so well, and sometimes his own master would become busy with his strange devices and forget to feed Einstein. Thankfully, his master had also made a machine that would give Einie his food, just in case he forgot, and he loved his master very much for being so kind to him.

Einstein could hardly remember the days of his puppyhood, when his master had made friends with a young human boy. At first he had been distrusting of the strange human, but the boy would go out of his way to pamper the dog and make sure he was happy, so the boy had earned the puppy's loyalty very quickly. The boy had grown up, but still remained friends with the dog's master and continued to treat Einstein like a prince.

Today, however, the boy was distracted and tired, and his scent held the distinct tang of boredom and loneliness. His master's friend didn't even react when a noisy vehicle crashed through a fence a few paces away and ran over a strange object on another human's lawn, despite the owner of the house screaming after the driver of the vehicle as loud as he could. Einstein thought about this as he walked along at the boy's side. It was clear that the boy needed rest, and that he needed to treat the boy extra-well today in exchange for the way the boy always treated the dog.

They reached the park and the boy unclipped the leash from Einstein's collar. "Go on boy," his master's friend said to him. "Just don't go too far."

Einstein looked back at the boy, wondering if he should go. The boy seemed to need companionship, and if something happened to him, the dog wasn't sure what he'd do. He wagged his tail briefly when saw the boy take a seat on a park bench, and knew that he would be fine there. Content in the knowledge that his master's friend was safe for now, Einstein trotted off across the grassy field.

The dog was in the midst of investigating an overgrown hedge when a strange scent reached his nose. He put his head up and sniffed harder, and he knew at once that something was wrong. There were two strange humans nearby, and their scents were not friendly. The looked around quickly, seeing his master's friend still sitting on the bench and listening to the musical machine. Sneaking up behind him were two unfamiliar humans, and Einstein realized in alarm that their scents were practically dripping with malice.

The dog began barking in alarm as he raced back towards the boy, but the music machine prevented him from hearing Einstein until it was too late. One of the bad men jabbed the boy in the small of his back with a device that Einstein knew was called a gun. The boy's face paled as the bad man whispered in his ear. The little dog growled savagely as he reached the bad men, but the other man kicked Einstein in the side as he lunged at them.

"You jerks!" the boy yelled, and the dog saw him take a step towards the man who had kicked him. The first man snarled something in a strange language and abruptly slammed the heavy gun into the back of the boy's head.

Einstein snarled in fury as his master's friend collapsed in unconsciousness, and tried to scramble to his paws to drive them away from the boy. The kick had hurt him more than he realized, though, and by the time he managed to stand up, the men were dragging the boy away to a large vehicle. Einstein tried his hardest to follow, but he couldn't reach them in time. The men put the boy in the back of their vehicle and drove away, disappearing down the street.

Einstein stood at the edge of the park, staring at where the vehicle had gone and whining softly. The boy was gone, and this was not good. His master must be told immediately.

-----

With Marty gone, Doc was free to work on modifying the DeLorean's dashboard without fear of having his most important invention discovered too early. _Almost thirty years now, and it's nearly completed,_ he thought, feeling a shiver of excitement up his spine as he wondered what the future would be like. _I'll get to travel through time...the first person to do so. I wonder what Marty will think when I finish the time machine and tell him what exactly I've been doing with this car. Knowing him, once the shock wears off, he'll write a song about it._

There was a familiar scratching noise at the door, and Doc looked up in surprise. He glanced over at the nearest clock, which proclaimed that it was currently 8:52 in the morning. _It's too soon for Marty and Einie to be back..._ He got out of the DeLorean and closed the door before covering the car with the giant sheet again. The scratching at the door continued, almost sounding frantic as a canine whine joined it.

Doc hurried to open the door, and a wave of foreboding descended on him. Einstein stood on the doormat, holding one paw as if it was injured and a look of hurt in his eyes. Marty was nowhere to be seen, even though Doc leaned out of the doorway and looked around in every direction for the kid. "Einie!" he exclaimed, kneeling down to inspect his beloved pet. The dog was rather bruised on one side, but wasn't bleeding or otherwise visibly injured.

The dog actually pulled away from Doc's careful inspection of his wounds and began whining, sounding almost as if he were crying. "What is it, Einie?" the aging scientist asked in concern. "Is it Marty?"

To his surprise, the dog barked in affirmation and took a few steps back out the door before looking over his shoulder at Doc. _I feel like I'm stuck on a rerun of Lassie,_ a corner of his mind commented even as he quickly followed the dog. He watched Einstein's gait carefully, and was relieved to notice that the dog was only limping slightly from his encounter with...whatever had caused this.

They arrived at the deserted park after only a few minutes, and Einstein made a beeline for one of the park benches. Doc picked up the leash that lay abandoned on the grass next to the bench, recognizing it as the one Marty had used on Einstein not even a half hour ago. His alarm spiked up a few levels as he spied a black object a few feet away, and he snatched it up. It was Marty's Walkman, still playing the Huey Lewis tape inside of it.

Doc stared at the Walkman, an ugly suspicion beginning to form in his mind as he slowly pushed the button to stop the tape from playing. _Marty wouldn't abandon Einstein...and he wouldn't just leave his music playing without him being around to hear it..._

He shook his head. _Calm down, Emmett. There could be a perfectly innocent explanation for all this. Don't panic yet; wait another hour or two before worrying. Marty's probably fine, and he'll show up later with some strange excuse for disappearing like this._

Three hours later, there was still no sign of Marty. Doc couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong as he reached for the telephone. He fought down the urge to call the police, and dialed the number that he seemed to call most often.

There was a click. "Hello?"

Despite only meeting her a few times, Doc recognized the voice. "Lorraine McFly? It's Doctor Brown."

There was a long pause. Doc didn't doubt that she was wondering why the hell the town crackpot would be calling her. "What do you want?" she asked at last.

"Well...it's about your son, Marty. You haven't seen him today, have you?" He suddenly realized that perhaps Marty had gone home and forgotten to tell him, or if some sort of emergency had come up. But he was grasping at straws, and he knew it.

"No, I haven't...but he left a note saying he would be over at your place," Mrs. McFly answered with a note of suspicion in her voice. "That _is_ where he is, right?"

"He was," Doc admitted hesitantly. "He went out to take my dog Einstein for a walk over three hours ago, and Einstein came back without him. I found his Walkman in the park, but I can't find Marty anywhere. I was hoping maybe he'd had to go home right away for some reason, but..."

The other end of the phone line was very, very quiet for a long time. Then, finally, Lorraine said, "Thank you for telling us right away, Doctor Brown...we'll start looking for him right away, but if you find him, would you let us know?"

"The instant I find him, and not a nanosecond later," Doc promised.

- - - - - - -

A/N: Once again, there is another non-BttF Michael J. Fox reference hidden in this chapter. Happy hunting!


	3. Missing

Author's Note: Aww, no one got last chapter's non-BttF MJF reference? Well, Marty didn't notice it either, but it was when the car backed over the fence and ran over the lawn gnome. The person who drove the car is Frank Bannister, Michael J. Fox's character in the The Frighteners.

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Chapter Three – Missing

Tuesday, April 2nd, 1985  
Unknown location, California  
12:16 PM

"Wake up, little dog-boy."

The back of his head ached as he was rudely dragged to consciousness by a rough hand slapping his face. Marty tried to open his eyes, but a blindfold was tightly tied across his face. His arms and shoulders were prickling uncomfortably, and he realized that they were handcuffed behind his back, chaining him against some sort of pole.

"What…?" he gasped out in confusion.

"Ah, the dog-boy awakens," the voice said, sounding rather sadistically pleased. It had a strange accent to it that Marty couldn't quite place, but all thoughts of the accent fled his mind as something lashed out and kicked him in the stomach. He cried out involuntarily at the suddenness of the pain, and drew his legs up closer to his chest in a pathetic effort to protect himself. "American scum. They're so weak," the voice snarled.

"Have you retrieved the dear _Doktour_'s telephone number?" another voice said. Marty heard the first man turn away, giving him a chance to think. _What's going on?_ he thought in alarm, pulling subtly at his restraints. _The last thing I remember was taking Einstein to the park…_ He desperately tried to remember what happened next, but it was like banging his head on a brick wall – he was getting nowhere fast.

"Let's let them worry a bit longer," First Man answered in dark amusement. "He may not have noticed his little friend missing yet." Marty could hear First Man getting closer, and flinched away as the man nudged him with his boot. "Besides," First Man continued in a slightly lecherous tone, "we do not know what this dog-boy means to the _Doktour_, yes?"

Marty gasped in abrupt understanding. _I've been kidnapped! But why would anyone kidnap me? Man, this is heavy._ Then he realized what First Man was insinuating. "Hey!" he protested indignantly. "I'm–" He was interrupted by First Man kicking him again, this time in the face. He felt something in his jaw crack painfully, and warm coppery blood welled up in his mouth.

"Silence, little dog-boy," First Man snarled as Marty whimpered in pain. "It will be much better for you if you cooperate!"

"You're such an asshole," Marty choked out, ignoring the suggestion.

First Man snarled and shoved something cold and metal into Marty's neck. "I am an asshole…with an Uzi!" he growled.

Marty froze in fear and didn't answer. First Man stayed for a moment longer, then pulled away and walked away to converse with Second Man in an unfamiliar language. Marty pulled at the handcuffs again, but the latches were secure over his wrists tight enough that he had no chance of slipping his hands out of them. _Damn…this is not good…_ He shook his head slightly. _Stop worrying, McFly. Doc will find you. He has to._

-----

Tuesday, April 2nd, 1985  
Hill Valley, California  
3:19 PM

The McFlys had split up to search for Marty, enlisting a few neighbors to help find clues of their missing son's location. Lorraine and George had taken to searching uptown Hill Valley, while Doc and Einstein went through downtown as thoroughly as they could. Marty's brother, Dave, made a methodical sweep of Marty's usual hangout spots while his sister, Linda, remained at home in case Marty called on the telephone.

Doc and Einstein wearily trudged home after conducting an extremely thorough search that had turned up absolutely no clues to where Marty had gone. Doc unlocked the garage door and went to go sit down on the couch to think, but was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. Hoping it was Marty, he lunged for the receiver. "Hello?" he asked hopefully.

There was silence on the other end for a moment, and then an unfamiliar male voice spoke, its accent distinctly Arabic. "Missing something, _Doktour_ Brown?"

Doc froze in horrified realization. "Who is this? Where's Marty?!"

"Your little friend is safe for now," the voice chuckled darkly. "We have taken him to ensure your…cooperation…in a certain business opportunity of ours."

Doc was simultaneously elated and appalled when he distantly heard Marty's voice in the background. _"You son of a bi–"_ His friend's protest mutated into a pained cry.

"Don't hurt him!" Doc blurted, terrified at the thought of what they might be doing to Marty. "Please, just…don't hurt him!"

"Your friend will be less injured if you cooperate with us," the unfamiliar voice said almost pleasantly, but there was an undercurrent of sadistic joy to it. The sound of a sixteen-year old boy crying in agony continued, muted, in the background. The voice seemed to ignore it completely. "Any resistance from either you or your friend will result in…unpleasantries."

Doc swallowed hard. _This is very, very bad…_ "What do you want from me?" he demanded quietly.

"We are told you have experience in the construction of explosive devices," the voice replied, almost triumphantly. "My organization has come into possession of a reasonable quantity of the element known as plutonium, and we wish for you to create a bomb for us."

_My God…they want to trade Marty's life for a nuclear warhead!_ Doc gasped at the very thought of it. _Great Scott…_

The voice at the other end of the line continued after a long moment of silence. "We do not, of course, expect you to make this decision at once," it continued in a mock-conversational tone. "You have until nine o'clock Friday night to make your decision, and we will call you once more. Do not tell your police of our potential deal, or we shall know and your friend will find himself receiving a very painful death somewhat prematurely. Are we understood, _Doktour_ Brown?"

Doc's hands were shaking. "You…are understood."

The voice laughed. "See you on Friday, _Doktour_."

_Click._

- - - - - - - -

A/N: You know the drill…there's a non-BttF MJF reference somewhere in this chapter.


	4. Hostage

Author's Note: Last chapter's non-BttF reference was the "asshole with an Uzi" exchange. Imaginary cookies to everyone who got it right!

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Chapter Four – Hostage

Tuesday, April 2nd, 1985  
Unknown location, California  
3:44 PM

There was a clicking sound as First Man hung up the phone, and Marty swore silently even though the pain was finally lessening. _Bastards…_ He'd missed half of what the man had said after being kicked in the face again. _I hope Doc didn't hear that over the phone,_ he thought pensively, pulling slightly at the handcuffs again.

First Man laughed a little as he stepped closer to where Marty sat on the floor. "Well done, little dog-boy…now the _Doktour_ knows for certain that we have you, and will comply with our demands. Yet still, he may think that we are not sincere, and I would never wish for Americans to think we are liars."

"Shall we show the young one our hospitality?" Second Man sneered in reply.

"Oh yes, we must treat him as only the best," First Man agreed, and Marty was caught unprepared as something smashed into his side. He involuntarily screamed as he heard something crack under the force of the blow. _Oh God…_

"Now then, don't be harming the child too much yet," Second Man said, but his voice betrayed his amusement. "After all, we need him to…what is the word? Ah yes…he must _testify_, to show his good friend the _Doktour_ that we mean what we say."

First Man laughed as Marty continued to gasp in pain. "Thank you for reminding me. Let him think for awhile, then we will begin to produce proof of our…sincerity." He patted Marty roughly on the cheek in a mock-endearing gesture, and then the sound of his footsteps retreated.

Marty feel shameful tears well up his eyes, which were immediately absorbed into the blindfold. _Oh God…why me? I want to go home…hurry, Doc…_

-----

Wednesday, April 3rd, 1985  
Hill Valley, California  
8:38 AM

Doc hardly got any sleep that night, worrying about Marty. _How can they ask me to make such a choice?_ he wondered in bewildered fear. _I can't let Marty die, but I can't make a bomb that will likely kill hundreds or thousands of people…I'm doomed either way, aren't I? Judge Doom, that's what they should call me…_

He shook his head. _I have to find some way to get around this._ Doc reached over and grabbed the telephone, dialing the McFly home.

It was picked up almost immediately. "Hello?" Lorraine's hopeful voice said.

"Mrs. McFly, it's Doctor Brown," Doc said, nervously twisting the phone cord around his fingers.

"Oh." Lorraine sounded disappointed, and Doc didn't blame her. "Marty hasn't turned up yet, if that's what you're calling about. I was just about to contact you, actually, but I couldn't find your number. We were just about to go down to the police station to file a…missing person report." The last bit was said with a bit of a sniffle behind it, as if she didn't want to believe Marty was missing.

Doc didn't want to believe it either. "I understand," he said gently.

"Since you were the last person to see him," the woman continued brokenly, "they'll probably want to talk to you about it. Would you…?"

"Yes, I'll meet you at the station," Doc agreed immediately, but it felt like someone was twisting a knife in his gut. He wanted to blurt out _I know who has Marty, I know what they want, and it's all my fault_ but he managed to restrain himself. The terrorists had specifically said not to tell the police about the deal, but there was no telling what they'd do to Marty if he told the boy's family anything beyond him being missing.

Twenty minutes later, he was at the police station with Marty's parents. The police officers looked rather surprised to have a missing person case, as Hill Valley was almost devoid of major crimes and had been for many years. The McFlys had brought along a picture of their youngest son for identification purposes, and Doc described what clothes Marty had been wearing the day before when he'd disappeared.

"Let's just make sure that all this information is correct," the policewoman said kindly. "The missing person in question is a young Caucasian male, sixteen years of age, approximately five-foot-four and one hundred forty pounds, with short brown hair and bright blue eyes. Last seen wearing blue jeans, white Nike shoes with red checks, plain blue collared shirt, and a denim jacket. Full name Martin Jonathan McFly, answers to Marty. Whereabouts unknown since approximately eight A.M. yesterday morning. Is that accurate?"

"Yes," Doc confirmed, that invisible knife twisting deeper as he thought of the last time he'd seen the boy. _He said he'd be back in an hour or two…I'm so sorry, Marty…_

"We'll distribute his picture and description today," the policewoman told the McFlys. "I'm afraid all you'll be able to do is wait, but rest assured that we will do everything in our power to find your son."

Doc walked home, feeling like he hadn't accomplished anything at all. The police wouldn't find Marty, and he knew it. They were looking for a missing person, not a hostage. And if Doc didn't decide something, and fast, Marty would be dead by Friday.

He absently unlocked the chain-link fence in front of his garage, his mind still on Marty, but he was startled out of his anxious thoughts as he stepped on something on his doormat that hadn't been there when he left. Looking down, he spied a plain brown envelope, one edge slightly crumpled from where he had stepped on it. It was unmarked, so he picked it up and opened it as he walked inside. He tilted the envelope and caught the contents as they slid into his hand…and almost dropped them in horror.

They were photos of Marty.

Doc's hands began to shake as he realized what they were. In each one, Marty was slumped against a thick metal pole with his hands behind his back and a black blindfold tied cruelly tight across his eyes. Dark purple bruises stretched across his face and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. There were about a dozen photos in total, each from a different angle to display numerous gashes and bruises on the boy's body.

The scientist stared at the photos in shock before he realized they weren't the only thing in the envelope. He snatched up a piece of paper which held a typewritten message.

**Dr. Brown,**

**As you can see, your friend is still alive and in our hands. He has not been cooperating and we have been forced to subdue him to give you enough time to make your choice. Choose wisely and he will be released upon delivery of our payment. Choose poorly, and your dear friend will fail to possess several body parts crucial to life.**

**We look forward to hearing from you on Friday.**

The note was unsigned, but it didn't matter. Doc knew very well who it was from. _My God…Marty…I can't let them do this to you…what am I going to do?_

- - - - - - -

A/N: This chapter, there is a non-BttF reference to Christopher Lloyd, not Michael J. Fox, because I couldn't find a good MJF one to use this time. Ah well. Happy findings!


	5. Deal With the Devil

A/N: Last chapter's non-BttF Christopher Lloyd reference was the "Judge Doom" line. For those who don't know, Christopher Lloyd played Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Also, only one person (mooze) noticed Marty's middle name being Jonathan! The middle name Seamus was given to Marty in the BttF animated series, which is not always taken as canon but used by many Backie fic writers. In addition, I have a photo of Marty's driver's license (the same one he shows to Doc to prove he is a time traveler in BttF part I; it can be found at _enigmasphinx(dot)741(dot)com(slash)marty(underscore)license(dot)JPG_ ) which reveals his middle initial to be J. While that initial was probably given as an injoke to Michael J. Fox's middle initial not standing for anything (his real middle name is Andrew, but he didn't want to be known as "Michael a fox"), I decided to be unique and use the J middle name. Jonathan was the most natural-sounding name I could find for him, so there you have it.

I must also admit that I have no idea how you go about reporting a missing person, aside from that they have to be missing for 24 hours. Apparently I managed to BS the scenario quite nicely, as no one noticed anything wrong with it.

- - - - - - - -

Chapter Five – Deal With the Devil

Thursday, April 4th, 1985  
Unknown location, California  
5:32 PM

Marty didn't even bother reacting as First Man stomped past him loudly. He wasn't sure what day it was anymore, between bouts of unconsciousness and the blindfold, but he guessed that it had been at least two days. His insides were twisting from starvation and his mouth was drier than a desert, not counting the blood that he still spat out occasionally. Everything ached dully, some spots more than others, and his wrists were rubbed raw from pulling at the handcuffs.

_Every cloud has a zinc lining…at least they've stopped kicking me,_ he thought to himself, feeling his ribs throb painfully at the thought. _Of course, they won't need to, if I don't get anything to drink…_ He vaguely recalled reading something about the human body being able to function without water for three days, or something like that. _I gotta be pretty close to that…_

At times like this, when the men left him alone, he wondered if he would make it out alive. He knew the police had to be looking for him by now, but his captors didn't seem concerned at all about being found. They'd even laughed about it when they found out Marty had been declared missing on public television. So much time without being able to see had sharpened his hearing, and he could barely make out the sound of a television in the next room.

"Police are still baffled by the disappearance of sixteen-year old Martin McFly, who vanished last Tuesday," a female voice reported, sounding muffled through the wall. "The sheriff of Hill Valley believes that young McFly was kidnapped, judging by the few clues found regarding his disappearance, and requests that anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of the boy should call this number…"

Marty cringed as he heard Second Man scoff, "Foolish Americans, they are so lazy that they do not even send out anyone to look for a missing boy?"

"Then again, he is only a boy," First Man chuckled. "What do they care for one little whelp?"

Not so long ago, Marty would have insulted them right back, but the last time he'd done that, First Man had beaten him nearly senseless with what felt like the butt of his gun. Nowhere near anxious to have a repeat performance, he reined in his temper and said nothing. _Just keep your head down, McFly,_ he told himself. _Don't bother them any more than you can help it and maybe you'll get out of this alive._

He held his breath as First Man stepped closer, and for one frightening moment he wondered if the man had finally gotten fed up with him and had decided to put him out of his misery…but no, he continued on past Marty. The sixteen-year old had to stop himself from sighing in relief, lest he catch the man's attention again. He listened listlessly as the heavy footsteps passed by behind him…

…and something clinked.

Marty's attention was immediately captured by the tiny sound, one that was so quiet he wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't been without sight for the past few days. _Oh please, let it come again,_ he pleaded to anyone who was listening.

_Clink!_

Marty zeroed in on the origin of the sound, and realized that it was coming from right behind him, by his hands. For a moment he thought it was the chain on his handcuffs, then he noticed that the chains made an entirely different tone when they moved.

Slowly, so that his captors wouldn't become alarmed, he lowered his fingertips to the dusty floorboards and groped blindly for the origin of the noise. For a long moment, there was nothing but dirt in between his fingers, and then he bumped up against something very small and hard.

He picked it up carefully, curiosity nagging at him. He ran his fingers over it carefully, tracing the contours. It seemed to be perfectly round and a little less than an inch in diameter, smooth on one side. The other side had a tiny bar across it, with some sort of bumpy knob at one end of the bar. He frowned slightly, pushing at the little bar in hopes that it would help him figure out what it was.

The bar suddenly shifted, and he felt something sharp prick his finger. Understanding flooded Marty's consciousness. _It's one of those button-pins, like they give out at rallies!_ he realized in amazement, an idea beginning to tickle at the back of his mind.

He pressed the pin and managed to hook the sharp point back under the clasp, and slipped the button into his back pocket somewhat awkwardly. _Tonight,_ he promised himself. _Tonight, I'm going to escape._

Marty's plan ran into a slight snag.

He waited for several hours, not daring to attempt escape until he was sure the men were asleep, but apparently they were taking shifts tonight. He could hear First Man grumbling to himself while Second Man slept, and then it was First Man's turn to sleep. Marty cursed mentally when it became obvious that he would have no idea if the man on watch was looking in his direction.

_Damn. There's no telling when they'll be leaving me alone enough to try to escape…_ Marty sighed quietly and let his chin drop to his chest. In the meantime, he would try to rest and recover his strength.

-----

Friday, April 5th, 1985  
Hill Valley, California  
8:58 PM

Doc paced anxiously in the confines of his garage as if trying to escape the accusing stares of his clocks. Normally he was comforted by their numerous clicks and chimes, but now they only hastened the moment where he would have to choose between Marty's life and doing what was morally right.

Two minutes.

Doc had burned the photos and the letter from the terrorists out of fear of being implicated in Marty's kidnapping, but now he wished he'd at least kept one so that he'd know Marty was still alive and relatively unharmed. He fidgeted nervously, wondering if the waiting would drive him crazy before he even had to make the choice.

One minute.

It was over three days since the last time he'd seen Marty, and two days since e had heard the boy's voice. _The poor boy's got to be scared shitless,_ Doc thought to himself. _He has nothing to do with this! God, why did it have to be Marty?_

Time's up.

Although he was expecting it, he still jumped when the ringing of the phone cut through the relentless ticking of the clocks. His hands trembling, he picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. "Brown." He forced his voice not to shake too badly, but his fear could not be concealed.

"No more time for thinking," the Arabic voice responded. "What shall it be, _Doktour_? Will our requests be honored, or do you wish us to terminate your young friend?"

Doc swallowed hard. "I…before I decide, may I speak with your captive?"

There was silence for a moment. "One minute only," the man growled, and Doc could make out the sound of a minor scuffle. "Boy, speak!" the voice demanded, a bit more distantly.

Doc gripped the telephone tighter as Marty's voice, weak and scratchy from abuse, said, "Doc?"

"Marty," Doc choked out through an unexpected burst of tears. "Are you all right? Are you injured?"

Marty coughed weakly. "I've been better, Doc. Don't know how bad off I am; I can't see."

"I know," Doc whispered sadly. "Marty, please, listen to me. I'm going to have to do whatever they want or they will kill you right away. Can you hang in there a little while longer?"

"I think so," the teenager rasped. "Don't worry about me. Just do what you have to do."

Doc swallowed hard. "Marty…I am so sorry about all this, I just can't tell you how much I wish you were here with me right now."

"Not your fault," Marty insisted, but the boy's voice was fading rapidly. "If I don't–"

Marty was abruptly cut off with another rustling sound, and the other man spoke. "Your minute is up," he barked. "What is your answer?"

Doc only hesitated for a moment. "I'll do it."

The man laughed heartily, but the sound of it made Doc feel ill. "Good choice, _Doktour_ Brown. You will receive a package shortly, and it would be in your best interests to begin immediately."

_Click_.

Doc hurriedly hung up the telephone and fell backwards onto the couch, hiding his face in his hands. _Oh God…what have I done?_

- - - - - - - -

A/N: I was able to get another non-BttF MJF reference in here, so see if you can find it.


	6. Escape

Author's Note: Last chapter's non-BttF MJF reference was another one that no one got, but it was Marty's line about every cloud having a zinc lining. In the episode of Family Ties called "Hotline Fever," Alex P. Keaton (played by Michael J. Fox) is working the suicide hotline and they talk about every cloud having a silver lining. Alex's reply is "No, silver's down this week. Say every cloud has a zinc lining."

- - - - - - - -

Chapter Six – Escape

Saturday, April 6th, 1985  
Unknown location, California  
3:58 AM

Marty sighed in relief as he finally heard Second Man's snores. First Man had gone to sleep several hours before, as close as he could tell, and finally they were both asleep…

…and more importantly, he knew he wasn't being watched.

The teenager awkwardly fished for the button pin in his back pocket, and finally managed to pull it out. He quickly pushed the sharp point out from under the clasp, and grasped it tightly in one hand while he quickly ran his fingers over the edge of the handcuffs. The chains rattled slightly and he froze as Second Man shifted slightly. He held his breath until the snores resumed, and then continued searching the metal bands.

_There you are,_ he thought triumphantly as he felt the tiny indentation of a keyhole. Moving carefully lest he wake up his captors or poke himself, he maneuvered the pin into the locking mechanism and began to pick the lock.

Several nerve-wracking minutes later, he finally heard a tiny click and immediately pulled at the cuff. To his great relief, it slipped loose. The empty cuff made a muffled thud as it hit the floorboards, rattling the chain. Marty quickly rendered the pin harmless and shoved it in his pocket as he heard Second Man's snoring stop again. He kept absolutely still, acting as though he were still handcuffed to the post.

Second Man grumbled in an unfamiliar language, and there was the noise of rustling cloth as he settled back down again. Marty waited in silence for a sign, any sign that the man was asleep again, but there was nothing.

_Is he still here?_ Marty wondered nervously. _Does he know? God, I hope not…_

After nearly five minutes without a sound, Marty finally gathered up his nerve and slowly reached up to untie the blindfold. His shoulders made faint cracking noises as they moved for the first time in days, and he squinted as he finally saw light once more.

It took his eyes several moments to adjust to even the low-level light, but he smiled faintly when he saw that Second Man – who seemed to be rather Arabic – was indeed asleep again, slumped in a wooden chair of some sort. His smile vanished quickly when he saw the machine gun in the man's lap. _Shit. Okay, McFly, just be very very quiet…_

Marty hauled himself up off the floor, his weakened body protesting the move. He appeared to be in some sort of log cabin, and judging by the layers of dust, it had abandoned long before his captors decided to make it theirs. The room had no windows and only one door, so he limped towards it.

The door creaked open, and Marty cursed profusely at the noise that seemed loud as a gunshot in his ears. Second Man began to move again, and Marty hurried through the doorway…only to trip right over the sleeping form of First Man.

First Man shouted in surprise, and then furious black eyes met Marty's startled blue ones. "YOU!" he roared, snatching up an Uzi from the floor next to him.

Marty bolted, throwing open the next door he saw and fleeing. Deafening gunshots echoed through the building, sending splinters flying through the air. The teenager ran for all he was worth and flung open the front door, escaping into a dark forest that was only lit by the full moon.

Branches tore at his face and arms as he ran through the woods, bullets flying all around him. The noise of the gun doubled as Second Man joined in, and Marty cried out as he felt something burn through his side. Similar pains erupted in his leg, chest, and shoulder, but he didn't dare slow down until he was as far away from his captors as possible.

He collapsed in a heap next to a large tree, breathing heavily and feeling terribly weak. Marty glanced down at himself and felt a horrifying chill as he saw dark red stains on his jacket. _Shit, I've been shot!_ he gasped, and darkness grew at the edge of his vision. _Oh man, this is too real…_

_No, stay awake, otherwise you're a dead McFly,_ he scolded himself, even though he knew it was hopeless. _I'm going to die out here…I don't want to die…I don't want to die…_

He wasn't sure how long he'd been saying it out loud, but suddenly there was a hand on his chest. "There, there, take it easy," a soft voice said soothingly.

Marty nearly screamed in surprise, and a face moved into his vision. It was a young woman with long red hair and the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. "Who…who are you?" he stammered. "Where did you come from?"

'I'm a friend," she assured him quietly. "I was passing through the woods and heard you. Just stay still, let me look at your wounds."

Marty couldn't help but whimper as she eased his jacket and T-shirt off him. She gave him a sympathetic look as she carefully examined the damage. "Bullets passed all the way through," she muttered to herself, then looked at him. "You need help right away."

"Can you take me to a hospital?" Marty choked out around the pain.

"No, there isn't one nearby," she replied thoughtfully. "There is one thing I could do for you…what's your name, child?"

"Marty McFly." He was beginning to feel lightheaded now, like he was floating in an ever-increasing black void.

"McFly! Well, that's a surprise," she commented. "Quickly, tell me, Marty. Would you rather die now, or live forever?"

"Rather live, but I'm not immortal," Marty whispered. "You said…you'd help me?"

"Yes, and I will." Marty couldn't see what she was doing anymore, but he cried out as she pressed hard against his uninjured shoulder. "Shh, just relax," she crooned. "Don't fight the change, just go to sleep. When you wake up, I promise you'll feel much better."

Marty closed his eyes as the darkness took over. Distantly, he felt himself being lifted off the ground, and there was a sound of leathery wings unfolding.

Then he knew no more.

- - - - - - - -

A/N: There's yet another non-BttF MJF reference in here, though it may be incredibly subtle this time. Also, I apologize for this chapter being so short, but hopefully the drama makes up for it.


	7. Awakening

Author's Note: Last chapter's non-BttF MJF reference, which no one got, was "Oh man, this is too real…" when Marty gets shot. MJF's character, Nick Lang, said that in The Hard Way.

Oh, and this chapter marks the first real appearance of Katherine O'Conelly, who is based off my good friend Kat. The true plot also starts here, which sets things up for the sequels.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Seven – Awakening

Saturday, April 6th, 1985  
Unknown location, California  
6:27 PM

For a long time, he drifted through an endless black void, unable to see, hear, or touch anything. _Is this it?_ he wondered absently. _Am I dead?_

Slowly, almost slow enough that he didn't notice it, the gentle sound of the wind in the trees began to rise up in the darkness. Gradually, he realized that he could hear other sounds of nature around him, like the trickling of a creek nearby and the chirping of crickets.

_This is nice…there isn't even any pain… What? No pain? But I thought I got shot…_

His eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright. "Oh my God!" He rapidly checked himself over. No wounds were on his body, and his shirt and jacket were still missing. His jeans had faint flecks of blood on them, and one dark brownish-red stain towards the knee, along with a matching pair of holes. Marty stared at himself in bewilderment. The last time he'd checked, he had been badly wounded…why wasn't he injured?

"Ah, you're awake."

Startled, he leapt to his feet and faced the voice, but relaxed when he recognized the woman from hazy memories. She was carrying his shirt and jacket, and she handed them to him. "Here, put these back on," she said kindly. "I've repaired them for you."

Marty blushed as he realized that he was half-naked in front of a beautiful woman, and hurriedly pulled the blue T-shirt over his head. He was startled to see that it was completely intact and had only faint traces of blood on it. The boy became aware that he was gaping like an idiot, and shook himself out of it. "Thank you…I'm sorry, I didn't get your name," he apologized as he put on his denim jacket.

"Oh, don't worry about that, you were rather out of it when I found you," she replied casually, sitting down on a large boulder. "My name is Katherine O'Conelly."

For the first time, Marty noticed that colors seemed a lot more vibrant than they had before despite the darkness, and sounds were a thousand times louder in his ears. A faint breeze tickled against his skin and he felt a sudden surge of energy, making him sway slightly. "Whoa…" he whispered in surprise, closing his eyes for a moment. "What…what did you do to me?"

"The only thing I could do," Katherine said. "Marty, do you believe in vampires?"

The question seemed so irrelevant, Marty took a moment to understand. "Umm…well I always thought they'd be interesting if they existed," he said after a moment's thought, eyeing her carefully. "Though I've always thought I'd make a better werewolf. Why?"

She smiled. "Because, Marty…I am a vampire. And now, so are you."

Marty stared at her. "That's…that's not possible," he stammered. "Vampires don't exist!"

"Don't be silly," she said sternly, and her eyes actually _glowed_ with bright emerald fire as black, bat-like wings unfolded from her back. She smiled at his startled surprise, showing a pair of sharp fangs.

Absently, Marty thought that he should be running away screaming by now, but some other part of him told him that it was perfectly normal for vampires to exist. "Uhh…you're…a vampire," he said stupidly.

"Last time I checked, yes," Katherine agreed. "And to save your life, I had to Change you into a vampire as well. How do you feel?"

Marty's brain seemed to be working slower than usual from the sheer surrealism of the idea. "Uhh…much better, thanks. So…I'm a vampire," he said, staring down at his hands. _I sure don't feel any different… although there is something strange going on here._ "So if I'm a vampire, how come I don't have fangs?" he challenged.

"Until you learn how to control them, your fangs will only appear when you are feeding, which you'll need to do about every three days," Katherine said idly as her wings retracted into her back again. "You can control your wings right away, however – you probably aren't aware of how to use them, so let's try this…stretch your arms out like those are your wings."

Marty thought he looked stupid doing it, but he did as she said. As his arms moved to the sides, he felt a strange twinge in his back, and looked over his shoulder to see jet-black wings melting from his back, his shirt and jacket shifting around them as if it wasn't even there. Each wing had a large claw at the base, and another claw at the thumb-joint. They tingled slightly at first, like a limb that had gone to sleep, but the feeling faded and was replaced by the mere feel of the wind blowing gently against the membrane.

In absolute amazement of his new appendages, Marty twitched one wing and then the other, getting used to the feeling of an extra set of limbs. Katherine was watching him in amusement. "You won't want to try flying yet," she advised. "While you can't die from falling, it would still hurt a hell of a lot if you don't know how to handle air currents."

"What do you mean?" Marty asked, drawing his attention away from his wings.

"There are six clans of vampires," Katherine said as if lecturing. "All the clans originally lived together in Transylvania, but our kind was hunted viciously and so the clans sought out new homes. The Răunul, or Evil Ones – who have the power to become shadows – settled in Europe. The Focstăpân, which means Fire Lords, migrated to Australia. The Peretealpinist clan – who do not have wings and thus have the ability to cling to walls – are currently mostly settled in north Asia. The Vrememanevra, or weather-manipulators, made their home in Africa. The Mintecapcană, or Mind Trappers – who hold the power of hypnosis – now live in South America. Our clan is the Vântstăpân, or Wind Masters, and we have been in North America for centuries. We have the power to create, control, and draw energy from the wind."

Katherine waved a hand lazily, and the wind instantly increased, blowing hard through the trees. She pointed towards the grass, and an invisible blade seemed to cut the foliage down, sweeping it up in a miniature tornado and depositing it in a pile between the two vampires. "Our clan is obviously the most adept at flying," she said matter-of-factly, "because if the winds do not favor us, we can fix that easily. It may be some time before you master this ability, however."

"Wow…this is heavy," Marty muttered, sitting down on another boulder and clumsily retracting his wings.

Katherine laughed. "I understand exactly what you mean," she sympathized. "I went through the exact same thing, over a hundred years ago by now. But that's a story for another time," she said abruptly, standing up. "You need to learn about your own abilities for now."

"There's more?" Marty exclaimed in surprise.

The other vampire nodded. "In addition to the wings, we also have retractable claws," she said, "which can be released by tensing up the hand muscles. You can try that later. Your senses and reflexes are greatly enhanced, and I'm sure you'll find that you're much more athletic than you were before. If you're injured, you will heal almost instantly unless you consciously slow your healing rate to avoid suspicion."

"Whoa, what about the regular vampires stuff?" Marty interrupted cautiously. "You know, not being able to stand in sunlight and all that."

Katherine laughed lightly. "Most of that is myth," she assured him, "including the silly notion that a crucifix or holy water can harm us. However, every three days, you will need to feed, or sunlight will begin to cause you to become ill. The effects can be aided with sunglasses, but you must feed no later than eighty hours apart. All vampires also have an allergy to garlic, but it cannot kill us – just make us feel very nauseous if we ingest it. The only other things that can kill us are decapitation or a stake through the heart. Vampires are immune to all poisons, and cannot be drowned or burned."

Marty thought about that, and was silent for a few minutes. "So," he said at last, "I guess this means no more Pepsi, eh?"

The woman smiled gently. "Actually, you can still handle most liquids and rare meat without a problem, they just aren't essential to survival," she replied. "The more solid something is, the less likely you'll be able to keep it down, though, so you probably won't be able to eat things like toast or vegetables anymore."

Marty couldn't help but laugh. "No more broccoli! Excellent!"

Katherine smirked and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, enjoy it. Now come on, let's teach you how to use those wings of yours, and then I'll introduce you to the rest of the clan."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: Once again, non-BttF MJF reference in here.


	8. Finding New Family

Author's Note: Last chapter's non-BttF MJF reference was the blatantly obvious homage to Teen Wolf.

This chapter has another cameo in it, this time of a slightly different sort. Tim Canton is a "genderbender" cameo of Flaming Trails, as I needed a nicely dramatic leader for the clan, and she seemed the logical choice. Thanks again, Vic!

- - - - - - - -

Chapter Eight – Finding New Family

Sunday, April 7th, 1985  
Unknown location, California  
7:52 PM

It took Marty almost all night to master the basics of flight, but once he was in the air, he could hold his own. By the time the sun began to show signs of rising, Marty's eyes began to hurt and Katherine led him to a nearby farm and showed him how to feed from large animals. At first he was hesitant about it all, but hunger won out and he discovered, to his great surprise, that it wasn't as repulsive as he had thought it would be.

They spent the rest of the daylight hours deep in the forest so Marty could try to control the winds, which didn't work out as well as they'd hoped. By the time the sun set, he was only able to make a minor breeze, but Katherine assured him that it was normal.

The two vampires flew over the forest, staying close to the treetops. Everything seemed bright as day to Marty, and he couldn't resist looking around at everything in amazement. The trees grew tall and thick, glowing with quiet life-power. _It's amazing that I've adjusted this fast,_ he realized as they continued their flight. _Maybe I'm just…still in shock from being shot,_ he speculated, and then had a thought. _If I heal almost instantly, and I was kidnapped, they'll be expecting to see at least some bruises…damn, I'd better get control of that before I go back._

"Here we are," Katherine said, jolting him from his thoughts. Marty looked up as they crested a long line of tall trees and his jaw dropped in astonishment. There in the clearing was a large, dark green dome with an intimidating double-door arch in the side. Katherine swooped in for a graceful landing in front of the doors, and Marty followed hesitantly. He stumbled slightly as he made contact with the ground, silently envious of Katherine's fluid landing.

"Where are we?" he asked as he absorbed his wings into his back.

"This is where the Vântstăpân Clan Council is based," Katherine explained. "Each new vampire is brought before the Council twenty-four hours or so after they wake from the Change coma, to determine if they are fit to join the clan. The Council consists of the six eldest vampires, and one appointed Lord of the Clan. Our Lord has led the Council for over a hundred years, after our previous Lord was killed by vampire hunters. He will be passing final judgment on you. Speak as I do and do not anger him." She stepped forward and rapped on the door six times.

Marty swallowed nervously. "Uh…I'll try…"

The double doors creaked open seemingly by themselves, and Marty stuck close to Katherine as she entered the dome. Inside of the structure was a large amphitheater, with a raised platform in the middle. Across from it was a raised seat, much like a judge's seat in a court, with three lesser seats on either side. In each seat was a vampire, all dressed in black.

The center vampire, presumably the Lord of the Clan, had midnight blue woven into his clothing. Though he seemed to be shrouded in darkness, Marty could see that he was very young in appearance, with short dark hair and piercing ice-blue eyes. He was almost aristocratic-looking, but there was a bitterness about him and a great power tempered with age.

Katherine gestured for Marty to follow her, and she stepped onto the raised platform. Now feeling very nervous about the whole thing, Marty stepped up next to her.

"Lady Katherine O'Conelly," the Lord vampire said suddenly, icy eyes glowing, "you bring before us a new candidate."

"I do, my Lord Canton," she replied promptly, bowing slightly. "I found him in the forest where I was patrolling, and he would have died had I not saved his life. He gave his consent to be Changed, and has been taught our ways."

"Very well, lady Katherine, please step down," Lord Canton commanded, and Marty's nervousness spiked up another notch as he was left to face the Council alone. "What is your name?" the Lord inquired.

"Uhh…Martin McFly, my Lord," Marty stammered, hoping he was using the proper address.

"And your age?"

"Sixteen, my Lord."

Lord Canton watched him intensely, making him feel like a bug under a microscope. "Your family…do you live with your parents?"

_What? What does that have to do with anything?_ Marty wondered in bewilderment, but responded. "Yes, my Lord."

"Have you any siblings?"

"A brother and sister, my Lord," Marty answered, still confused.

Lord Canton's eyes narrowed. "Lady Katherine, you would Change a boy who still lives with his family?" he accused.

"I have, my Lord," she replied, stepping back up onto the platform.

The six other vampires whispered amongst themselves, and the Lord nodded slightly. "Then he must stay here, away from the humans, until they pass on," he declared.

Marty stopped breathing. _No…no! They can't do this!_ "That's not fair!" he blurted without thinking, ignoring Katherine's look of warning. "Why can't I go home? I'm a vampire because I wanted to stay with them!"

"They will grow suspicious as you do not age," Lord Canton said, raising an eyebrow at the teen. "Therefore, to avoid any risk of our clan being discovered, you must remain dead to them until they are dead to you."

Marty felt a horrible ache in his heart as he realized what they were saying. _I'll never see my family again…? Not Mom, not Dad, not Linda or Dave? Not even Doc?_ His eyes burned with bitter tears, and he quickly looked down so that the Council wouldn't see.

But Katherine saw. A gentle arm wrapped around his shoulders, and a hand brushed away his tears. "My Lord Canton," she said, "esteemed Elders. The boy is too young to be separated from his family. They need him, and he needs them. If no body is found, they will not cease in their search, and we may be discovered much sooner than you would like. At least give him some time with them, if nothing else…everybody's acting like we can do anything and it doesn't matter what we do, but maybe we have to be extra-careful because it might matter more than we even know. Please, Timothy…please do this, for me if no one else."

The Council was silent for a few minutes, and Marty didn't dare look up to see their uncaring faces. He sniffled, the tears coming faster now.

"Martin."

Startled at the use of his name, Marty looked up to see not uncaring looks, but curiosity. Lord Canton leaned forward, his eyes showing a flicker of something unidentifiable. "If we release you to return to your family, will you swear to join the clan when you are ready?"

Marty didn't understand for a moment. "You…you mean…I can go back?"

Lord Canton nodded. "We will have Katherine check up on you every few years, and when you are ready to join us, just let her know and she will bring you to us."

Marty wiped his face on his sleeve. "Th-thank you, my Lord."

"You are dismissed," Lord Canton declared, leaning back in his chair again.

Katherine smiled slightly and steered Marty towards the double doors, her arm still around his shoulders. "Congratulations, Martin," she said as soon as the doors swung shut behind them. "You're the first person to ever get an exception like _that_ from the Council in the entire history of vampires."

"The first?" Marty repeated in surprise as they spread their wings. "Well I'll be damned. Er, that is, um…never mind."

Katherine laughed, taking off with a graceful flap of her bat-like wings. "Don't worry about it."

"So now what?" he asked, clumsily catching up to her after a rough takeoff.

She turned to him, eyes glowing soft green. "Now we have one more thing to take care of, and then you get to reunite with your family."

- - - - - - - -

A/N: This chapter also has a non-BttF MJF reference in it, but it's not in Marty's dialogue this time. It's probably too little-known for most people to get, but it amused me, so in it went.


	9. Lost and Found

Author's Note: Last chapter's reference was Katherine's line, "Everybody's acting like we can do anything and it doesn't matter what we do, but maybe we have to be extra-careful because it might matter more than we even know." In Casualties of War, MJF's character Eriksson said this.

This chapter has a cameo of Damian, another of my friends, since he missed out on being the Lord vampire this time around.

- - - - - - - -

Chapter Nine – Lost and Found

Monday, April 8th, 1985  
Grass Valley, California  
6:49 AM

Damian Taranth was dragged from sleep by a loud pounding on his front door. He cursed under his breath as he staggered out of bed, barely remembering to duck the doorframe or risk concussing himself again. _This is way too early for any salespeople,_ he thought groggily. _Things like this _never_ happened in Australia._

He finally got to the door and opened it. "What the bloody hell…?"

On his doorstep was a short kid, dressed in stained and torn jeans. His hair was mussed, and dirt and bruises marred his skin. The boy looked like he'd been walking for quite some time. "Um, hi," the kid said after gaping up at the much taller man. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm kinda lost…"

"You look familiar," Damian interrupted, looking closer at the kid. His sleep-fogged brain finally woke up, and he snapped his fingers. "You're that missing kid, the one from Hill Valley!" he exclaimed, then realized that the kid looked like he was about to collapse right then and there. "Oh, come on in," he offered, stepping aside and making a sweeping motion with his hand.

The kid – _what was his name?_ – hesitantly stepped into Damian's house. "Uh…don't suppose you could tell me what town this is?" he wondered.

"Grass Valley," Damian replied absently as he picked up the phone and dialed 911.

"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?" the woman on the end of the line asked calmly.

"I think I've found that missing kid from the news," Damian explained. "The McFly boy."

-----

Monday, April 8th, 1985  
Hill Valley, California  
7:03 AM

George nervously paced in the confines of the tiny hallway, head bowed in defeat. No one had seen his son in over six days, and George found himself intensely regretting how neglectful he'd been towards his own son. Marty had needed to resort to Doc Brown's guidance due to his real father's cowardice.

_And now he's gone,_ George lamented. _If I could only have five minutes…five minutes would have been enough to at least let him know I love him. He wouldn't have had to die alone, thinking his father didn't care…I'm sorry, Martin…_

George was startled out of his thoughts as the telephone rang. He glanced at his wife, who was sobbing at the table, and then picked up the phone. "Hello?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mr. McFly?" a male voice asked.

"Uh…yes. Speaking," George said hesitantly.

"Are you the father of Martin Jonathan McFly?"

George winced. "Yes sir."

"I have some good news for you," the voice continued. "Your son's been found."

George's heart nearly stopped from the shock, spirit soaring. "WHAT?!" he shouted, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Lorraine's head jerk up to stare at him in confusion. "You found him? Is he alive?"

"Alive and well," the man on the other end assured him, and George let out a whoop of jubilation.

"Where is he?"

By now, Dave and Linda had been drawn to the kitchen by the racket, and one look at their father's face was all they needed. "Marty…" Linda whispered, a smile growing on her face.

"Your son's been taken to Grass Valley central hospital," the voice on the phone answered.

George almost dropped the phone in surprise. "_Grass Valley_?" _How'd he get all the way over there? That's twelve miles away!_ He shook off that thought, vowing to ask his son later. "All right, thank you, I really appreciate this more than you could ever know. We're on our way to see him now."

He all but threw the phone back on the hook and dashed over to hug his wife and kids. "He's alive!" he exulted, running over to grab his car keys. "He's at Grass Valley hospital, come on!"

-----

Monday, April 8th, 1985  
Grass Valley, California  
7:28 AM

Marty leaned back into the soft pillows of the hospital bed, closing his eyes to savor the feeling of being able to lie down. _Aw man…that feels good…_ he thought to himself with a slight smile.

A whisper of a thought tickled at the back of his mind, and he reached over to fish in the pocket of his bloodstained jeans. Finding what he wanted, he pulled out the tiny button pin that had saved his life.

"Hello, beautiful," he murmured, finally getting to see his salvation. It was rather inconspicuous in appearance, plain white with a black semicircle and red triangle. The words ART IN REVOLUTION were printed between the two shapes in black letters. The pin was slightly bent, but as far as he cared, it was perfect. _This is going on my jacket,_ he decided. _Just in case._

"_Marty!_"

Marty looked up just in time to be tightly hugged by his frantic mother. "Oh God, Marty, oh God oh God…" she babbled, squeezing him tight as if afraid he'd vanish if she let go. "My baby boy, I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Whoa, Mom, easy," he said lightly. Lorraine loosened her grip, but still didn't let go, so he smiled gently and hugged her back, being cautious about the IV line in his arm. "You have no idea how good it is to see you again," he told her in all honesty.

Over his mother's shoulder, he could see his father and siblings in the doorway, all grinning like idiots. "Hi guys," Marty called to them. "Come on in, it's great to see you too!"

Within minutes, his excited family members were all comfortably seated on the edge of his hospital bed. "What happened to you?" Lorraine asked cautiously.

Marty flinched at the memory of his captivity. "Uhh…I'd rather not talk about it," he muttered, looking away. _Plus I don't want to try to explain away my escape…_

"Are you hurt, at least?" George piped up, reaching up and turning his son's face back towards them, his eyes fixed on the large purple bruise on Marty's cheek.

"Just bruises," Marty protested.

"It is most certainly _not_ just bruises," a new voice interrupted, and they turned to see a doctor walk through the door with a clipboard in his hands. The man was around Marty's height, with brown hair and eyes that were hidden by round sunglasses. "I'm Doctor Benjamin Stone," the man introduced himself, briefly shaking hands with the adult McFlys. "Young Martin here is being treated for dehydration and mild starvation, in addition to minor bruising and sleep deprivation. All are easily treatable, and he'll be released tomorrow, if he cooperates."

Marty blushed faintly at the accusation that he was an uncooperative patient, and his family held back their knowing laughs. "Hey, I'll cooperate with anything if it means I get to go home sooner," he declared, ignoring Linda's whispered, "Yeah, right!"

"There is one other thing," Dr. Stone admitted, looking directly at Marty's parents. "May I speak to you privately, please?"

George and Lorraine shared a concerned look, and stood. "We'll be right back," Lorraine promised, running her hand through Marty's hair again. Marty groaned inwardly at his mother's fussiness, but didn't move away. She smiled reassuringly at him, and followed George and the doctor out into the hallway, leaving the three kids alone.

Now that his fussing mother was gone, Marty noted the absence of several someones. "Where's Doc?" he asked his siblings. "And where's Jennifer? Have they been told yet?"

Dave and Linda gave each other a guilty look. "Sorry Marty," Dave apologized. "We were in such a hurry when Dad got the phone call, we completely forgot to call either of them."

"I'll go call them for you," Linda offered, standing up to leave.

"Call Doc first, would you?" Marty said quickly, before she could walk away. He ignored the slightly stunned expressions on their faces.

"Uh…sure, okay," Linda agreed, still faintly surprised.

Dave apparently didn't have anything else to say, because he just sat there with Marty. Marty didn't mind, however, since he was taking advantage of his newly enhanced hearing to listen in on what the doctor was telling his parents.

-----

"Is there something wrong with him?" Lorraine asked the doctor as they stepped out into the hallway.

"Not physically," Dr. Stone promised her. "His injuries are mainly superficial in nature, but I'm afraid he may have some deep psychological scarring. He gave his statement to the police shortly before you arrived. I'll leave it up to him to give you the details as he chooses, but he said he was blindfolded and handcuffed to a pole during the length of his captivity. He was occasionally physically abused, as well as mentally."

Lorraine gasped slightly at the news that her son had been mistreated, but the doctor continued. "He only saw a brief glimpse of his captors when he escaped, which unfortunately means he will not be able to be reassured that they won't come after him again. He may experience flashbacks, paranoia, and intense nightmares. My recommendation is that you schedule a series of appointments with a counselor to help him come to terms with his kidnapping."

George winced. "He won't be too happy with that when we tell him."

"It's for the best, and I'm sure your son will come to realize that," Dr. Stone assured him.

"I certainly hope so," Lorraine replied faintly, while her husband subsided into silence. "My poor baby boy…"

-----

Marty frowned faintly as he listened in on their conversation. _So…they're sending me to a shrink. Fantastic._ He sighed in frustration, and wondered when life would ever be normal again.

- - - - - - - -

A/N: This chapter's MJF reference is so blatantly obvious, I know two people who have never seen the movie in question and even THEY know what the reference is.

One more chapter to go…


	10. Confessions

Author's Note: Last chapter's MJF reference was the character of Dr. Benjamin Stone. Michael J. Fox played Ben Stone in the movie Doc Hollywood, although I took the liberty of changing him from a plastic surgeon to a general practitioner or whatever you call them. He _was_ on his way to California…

- - - - - - - -

Chapter Ten – Confessions

Tuesday, April 9th, 1985  
Hill Valley, California  
2:26 PM

Doc had never actually been inside the McFly house before, but it didn't take a genius to figure out which bedroom was Marty's. As he peered nervously around the doorframe, he caught sight of Marty and Jennifer sitting on the boy's bed. From what his friend had told him about his mother's attitude towards dating, he was momentarily surprised that Lorraine had allowed them to be together unsupervised, but quickly came to the conclusion that Marty probably wasn't in the mood to get up to anything.

He simply stood in the doorway for a long moment, carefully examining his friend with his eyes alone. There was something a bit off, but Marty seemed to be physically fine, holding his girlfriend's hand as if nothing was wrong at all.

"Oh Marty, your mom isn't overreacting," Jennifer was saying. "She let you cut your own bananas."

"With a spoon!" Marty replied, rolling his eyes. "I swear, she doesn't think I should do anything remotely dangerous anymore…"

Jennifer smiled slightly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "She'll get over it."

"Hey, Doc," Marty said abruptly, looking up without even a hint of surprise on his face at the fact that his friend was there. He released Jennifer's hand and stood up, smiling slightly. "You have no idea how great it is to see you."

Doc couldn't help but stare at him for a moment longer, and then rushed forward to embrace his friend in a tight hug. "Oh my God, Marty," he choked out as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

Marty returned the hug without hesitation. "Hey, hey, it's okay Doc, I'm okay."

"I thought I'd never see you again," Doc confessed in a whisper, drawing back slightly. There was something very strange about Marty, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it…

"We've been waiting for you, actually," Marty admitted as his friend released him from the hug at last. "I have something you both really need to hear."

Doc couldn't think of a single reason for Marty to need to tell them a secret of any sort – and a secret it would be, as Marty carefully checked to make sure none of his family was nearby and then closed and latched the door before turning to face the other two.

"You have to promise that this doesn't go beyond the two of you," Marty said seriously, his blue eyes holding an intensity that had not been there a week ago. "You have to tell _no one_, not my parents, not my siblings, not my other friends, not even that homeless guy that hangs around the courthouse. _No one_."

Doc and Jennifer shared a confused glance. "All right, we promise," Jennifer said, and Doc nodded in puzzled agreement.

Marty took in a deep breath, as if he expected them to take this badly. "Okay…this is going to sound really, really insane, and you're probably going to want that shrink to start in on me right now, but…I'm a vampire."

Doc's first reaction was to stare at his friend, absolutely stunned. Jennifer, on the other hand, managed a stammered, "You're a _what_?"

"A vampire," Marty repeated calmly, and to Doc's great surprise, his eyes now appeared to have a faint glow to them. He grinned at their astonished expressions, exposing the trademark pair of fangs, and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a strange tattoo on his right shoulder. It was almost circular in shape, consisting of two black arcs, and glowed faintly.

"Marty…" Doc began, and then had absolutely no idea what to say. How _does_ one react when their friend admits to being a mythological creature? "How?" he asked at last.

Marty had never been much of a storyteller, but he adequately summed up his experiences over the past week, starting with his kidnapping, continuing through his Change, and ending with him being returned to human civilization. Doc and Jennifer remained mostly silent during it all, and Doc found that it actually didn't surprise him that much. _So that's why Marty appeared to be a little off the norm,_ he decided absently as Marty explained the vampiric healing factor. _It's because his "injuries" don't match the photos I saw!_

"Marty, this…this is incredible," Doc said at last. "To think that vampires actually exist…!"

"But Marty," Jennifer said slowly, "does this mean that you're going to live _forever_?"

Marty winced at that, looking uncomfortable. "Ah…well…I can still be killed, yes, but not easily, and I'm never going to age anymore. I…don't want to leave you behind," he said quietly, looking down at the floor. "I asked Katherine if I could offer you the option of being Changed, but I can't. By clan law, I have to be a vampire for fifteen years before I Change anyone, and then I can only do it when the person in question no longer lives with their family. Sorry, Jennifer."

"It's okay," Jennifer replied, putting her arm around him. "I can wait as long as I need to."

"Fifteen years would be a good time to think about what being a vampire would entail," Doc agreed. "If it isn't urgent, that is."

"Yes," Marty said, very quietly. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

-----

Almost the instant Doc set foot in his garage, the telephone rang loudly. He quickly moved to grab the receiver. "Brown."

"Hello, _Doktour_," a familiar Arabic voice growled. "By now I am sure you have thought your friend is out of danger."

Doc felt a fresh chill down his spine. "What are you talking about?"

"You do not think he could escape us, do you?" the voice continued. "We _let_ him escape, _Doktour_. As a gesture of good faith. We are not monsters, after all."

"So what do you want then?" Doc asked nervously.

"Continue on schedule, _Doktour_. Unreasonable delays will require additional…incentive. Your friend is not safe, not as long as we await our delivery."

Doc gripped the phone tightly, and then suddenly it hit him. _Of course! It's so simple…_ "Yes," he agreed, much calmer than he had been, and feeling a new flutter of hopeful anxiety. "It may take some time to acquire the other materials I need without getting unwanted attention from the police…it should be ready by early autumn."

"We are glad you see it our way," the voice replied, sounding pleased with Doc's response. "We will contact you in September."

_Click_.

Doc let out the lungful of air he'd been holding in, and set the phone back down. _Right,_ he thought, _I have a job to do._

With new determination, he turned to his experiment.

_  
To be continued in…Prince of Vampires: Space Zombies from Pluto._

- - - - - - - -

A/N: This chapter also has a non-BttF MJF reference in it. Since this is the last chapter, I'm going to say what it is here, so if you don't want to know yet, stop reading NOW.

This chapter's MJF reference is Marty's complaint about only being allowed to cut his bananas with a spoon. In Stuart Little 2, the Little parents debate if they treat Stuart like he's too small to do anything by himself. Mrs. Little says that she lets him cut his own banana, and Mr. Little's response is "With a spoon!"

The sequel to this story will hopefully be started soon, if my muses cooperate. Which they should. But then, I have been neglecting my other fanfics, so no promises.


End file.
